A girl's letters to her best friend reveal two lives derailed by anorexia in this haunting debut that's Wintergirls meets The Sixth Sense
It's not a hospital, a spa, or an institution. That's what they told me--that's what the brochures promised.
But no matter what the brochures promised, Zoe finds that Twin Birch is a place for girls with a penchant for harming themselves. Through journal entries and letters to her best friend, Elise, she tries to understand why she was brought there, and how she could possibly belong in a place like this. But Zoe's letters to Elise remain unanswered. She wonders why her best friend would cut her off without a word, reliving memory after memory of their beautiful, rocky, inescapable friendship. But everyone has secrets--including Zoe--and as her own fragile mental state hangs in the balance, she must finally learn to come to terms with what happened to Elise before she's able to let go.
Fans of Laurie Halse Anderson and Girl, Interrupted will race through this hauntingly emotional debut novel with the pacing of a psychological thriller.
It's not a hospital, a spa, or an institution. That's what they told me--that's what the brochures promised.
But no matter what the brochures promised, Zoe finds that Twin Birch is a place for girls with a penchant for harming themselves. Through journal entries and letters to her best friend, Elise, she tries to understand why she was brought there, and how she could possibly belong in a place like this. But Zoe's letters to Elise remain unanswered. She wonders why her best friend would cut her off without a word, reliving memory after memory of their beautiful, rocky, inescapable friendship. But everyone has secrets--including Zoe--and as her own fragile mental state hangs in the balance, she must finally learn to come to terms with what happened to Elise before she's able to let go.
Fans of Laurie Halse Anderson and Girl, Interrupted will race through this hauntingly emotional debut novel with the pacing of a psychological thriller.
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published June 14th 2012 by Penguin Group *Received ARC via the author*
Zoe Letting Go is a captivating and haunting read. The novel follows the protagonist Zoe Propp through her days at sort of institution or emotionally or mentally unstable teen girls. No, the girls aren't diagnosed with mental disorders that stop them for functioning. The seven girls in the house have one central attribute in common- eating disorders. Well, everyone but Zoe.
We go through the voyage with Zoe as she tries to discover the exact type of facility Twin Birch is. What makes this novel stand out is the fact that it is written in letters to Zoe's best friend, Elise, who has been ignoring her letters. Another reason it stands out- we have no idea why Zoe is suddenly dropped off at the facility by her mother until the end of the novel. Zoe doesn't understand why herself.
The novel is written smoothly, each unknown fact and problem piling on top of one another like a stack of freshly washed plates. Of course, the pile begins to rise so high it eventually crumbles. The book is alluring, mysterious, and emotional all at once, and each page has you wondering whether or not there will be a paranormal turn or just a major catastrophe gearing up to take your breath away.
Great book. I deducted one point mainly because I felt it could be better. However, part of that deduction came from my ability to guess half of the major twist in the story, which occurs at the end. I applaud the author on effectively adding a plot twist at the end of such a intriguing novel, without making it a cliff hanger. I did feel that with just a few more sentences the impact of the ending could have been stronger.
Zoe Letting Go shows a fresh take on the thoughts of girls battling eating disorders, and definitely a good book for anyone interested in books of this nature.
4 stars from me. I would recommend this book.
***Author Info: Nora Price is the pseudonym of a twenty three year old writer and journalist in New York.***
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